S.O.R.E. field trip. Town Hall with Senators Biss and Manar on school funding, Special Needs.

Illinois State Senators Dan Biss and Andy Manar.

Members of our retired IEA chapter are concerned about our pensions. Not just our pensions. We are concerned about the preservation of public schools. That means we are concerned about funding.

In Illinois, there is a lot to be concerned about.

Illinois ranks at the bottom when it comes to state funding for public education.

The Illinois Constitution says the state has the main responsibility for school funding. The courts have ruled the language doesn’t mean the state has the main responsibility for funding schools.

I don’t get that either.

Every attempt  to change the way Illinois funds our schools has failed. So we rely mostly on local property taxes. Wealthy communities and those with casinos and atomic power plants do well. Those without local resources do worse.

Some do much worse.

Much, much worse.

Democratic State Senator Andy Manar has come with a bill – SB16 –  that addresses state school funding. The Senate passed  SB16 last session.

His plan is to take the existing crappy funding and redivide the pie. He says wealthy districts will get less. Poorer districts will get more.

But without a larger pie Manar’s plan will result in some serious costs to all our public schools.

The bill ends the requirement that schools offer instruction in drivers’ education; daily physical education; avoiding abduction; internet safety; the Holocaust and genocides; black history; women’s history; United States’ history; disability history; the disability rights movement; consumer education; natural resources; steroid use and prevention; requirements applicable to sex education courses; and violence prevention and conflict resolution.

We always complain about unfunded mandates. But this is just nuts.

Yes. U.S. History would become optional. Physical Education as well.

When there is not enough money you have to make difficult choices.

It’s just like your own family budget. If you are working three fast food jobs and still earning less than the poverty level, you may have to decide not to pay the heating bill.

It’s all about choices.

And one of the choices is servicing students will Special Needs.

Last night I received this from Beverley Johns, Special Needs advocate:

The Board of the Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) of
Illinois on Saturday, September 13th, voted unanimously
to OPPOSE Senate Bill 16 as it would directly
harm students with disabilities and their parents.

The members of LDA are largely parents of
of students with Learning Disabilities, dyslexia
and related disabilities, plus college teachers,
and special ed teachers.

Within the next few days other major organizations
such as the Illinois Council for Exceptional Children
(Illinois CEC), largely special ed teachers, are
expected to formally oppose Senate Bill 16 because
it would completely eliminate special ed Personnel
Reimbursement which provides local school
districts $9,000 for each special ed teacher,
each school psychologist, each school social
worker, etc. that works directly with students
with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).

It seems that one of the areas that is being severely impacted by SB16 is the mandate that local districts spend funding on Special Needs students.

We have been told that key House members have been meeting on SB16 during the summer. It will likely come up in the House after the election.

Tonight S.O.R.E members will be joining active teachers and parents at a Town Hall sponsored by Senator Dan Biss. Senator Manar will be present.

Join us at 7:00 at 1500 McDaniel in Evanston.